Third Way is a Washington, D.C.–based public policy think tank founded in 2005. It develops and advocates for policies that it says represent "modern center-left ideas".
In 2013, Third Way was awarded as the North American Think Tank of the Year by Prospect.
The think tank's supporters and advocates include Democratic politicians, other center-left think tanks, and individual donors. Third Way's funding also partially comes from philanthropy, foundations and personal donations. In the past decade, Third Way has been directly involved in policy issues such as the benefits of energy innovation, student accountability measures under the Every Student Succeeds Act, deficit reduction, proposals to reform Medicare and Medicaid, the repeal of "Don't ask, don't tell", and new trade accords with Colombia, South Korea, and Panama.
History
Third Way grew out of the nonprofit group Americans for Gun Safety (AGS), which was formed in 2000 with the objective of resetting the gun control movement and advancing gun safety laws, using moderate ideas that appealed to both sides of the debate.
AGS' primary political project was closing the gun show loophole, through which people could purchase guns at gun shows without needing a background check, by passing the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act. It helped pass two 2000 state-level ballot initiatives in Colorado and Oregon to close the gun show loophole there and attempted to pass federal legislation carried by Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Joe Lieberman (D-CT), which failed to become law. AGS was folded into Third Way in 2005 in the wake of the 2004 presidential election as a policy, messaging, and strategy idea center and think tank. Third Way was co-founded by Jonathan Cowan, Matt Bennett, Jim Kessler, and Nancy Hale.
Policy areas
Third Way's work covers seven policy areas: climate and energy, economy, education, healthcare, national security, politics, and social policy.
In the climate policy area, Third Way advocates for nuclear energy and other clean energy alternatives. In the economic policy, Third Way advocates for infrastructure development and tax reform. In education, Third Way focuses on addressing what they see as issues in both K-12 and higher education. Protecting and improving the Affordable Care Act is Third Way's aim regarding healthcare. Third Way also seeks to develop electoral strategies for the broader left and advocates for socially liberal policies such as abortion rights, same-sex marriage, and the legalisation of Marijuana.
Policy work
In 2010, Third Way sponsored a report written by William Galston of the Brookings Institution and Elaine Kamarck of Harvard Kennedy School titled "Change You Can Believe In Needs a Government You Can Trust". The report analysed Americans' trust in government and reported it was in serious decline, possibly presenting significant challenges to the Obama administration's agenda. Third Way's other economic work has included rural reinvestment efforts, a plan to make opportunity more widely available to American middle class and defending the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
As an example of Third Way's rural reinvestment program, Third Way developed the policies framed in Spurring Weatherization Investments in Rural America, which was introduced by Representative Jim Clyburn (D-South Carolina) and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) as the Rural Energy Savings Program. Third Way argued for members of opposing parties to sit together at the President's annual address in 2011 and 2012.
Third Way has recently worked on a campaign to evaluate the Democratic Party connection with voters after the 2016 presidential election. The report found a drop-off in support among voters of color, concluding they are persuasion voters needing a compelling economic narrative, and that Republican efforts to brand Democrats as “radicals” worked—including with minority voters. Along those lines, Third Way hosted consultations and meetings with politicians and strategists from around the country to develop a Democratic strategy for winning 2018 and 2020 elections. As of 2017, Third Way's economic program is undertaking a campaign to highlight the scarcity of opportunity as a root cause of income inequality.